The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

Two days passed, and the oasis had returned to normal, as if the rebellion that night had never happened. Everything was running smoothly, peace was restored, and the survivors resumed their routines, seemingly unaffected by the change in leadership.

Indeed, although angered by Qin You's betrayal, An Qiya hadn't lost her reason and punished everyone indiscriminately. She only dealt with Qin You's close associates and the Qin family loyalists. Those Espers who had cooperated with the Qin family were left untouched, allowed to continue their duties. As for the Espers who tried to take advantage of the situation, she dealt with them harshly until they obeyed.

Lou Ling obediently stayed in the house to recover. Besides An Qiya, only the Bach siblings came to visit her. Bach, no longer cold and aloof, had become a chatterbox, excitedly recounting how An Qiya reorganized the oasis and disciplined the troublemaking Espers. He was practically a little loudspeaker.

Lou Ling peeled a tangerine and fed it to Funa, then hugged the kitten-like girl and nuzzled her. Although the girl was so thin she was practically skin and bones, Lou Ling found this soft and adorable little girl irresistible, even ignoring the look the man beside her gave them.

Witnessing Bach's chatter, Lou Ling couldn't help but ask curiously, "Didn't you used to admire Qin You quite a bit?" How could he switch his allegiance so quickly?

Bach's cheerful expression turned sour. He said coldly, "If I had known that the Sage was actually harmed by her, I wouldn't have respected her. Funa and I were still young then. We thought the Sage had met with an accident for the sake of the oasis, so she entrusted the oasis to Qin You and appointed her as the Sage's successor."

The Sage wasn't elected by popular vote but appointed by the retiring Sage. That's why, when Qin You schemed against An Qiya to obtain the position, no one in the oasis questioned it. No one expected Qin You to be so ambitious and harm An Qiya. This method of appointing a successor clearly had many drawbacks. An Qiya would probably change this succession method in the future.

After Bach finished singing An Qiya's praises, Lou Dian, seeing that they were seriously disturbing Lou Ling's rest, sent them away.

Bach didn't mind Lou Dian's dismissal; he even sympathized with Lou Ling. As a Power Esper, he was very familiar with the condition of Espers. Minor injuries didn't hinder them; they could still work and move around, their physique much better than ordinary people. Lou Ling's injuries looked serious, but they were only flesh wounds, requiring only a day of rest. Lou Dian's insistence on confining her for recovery seemed excessive to others, like a jailer, something a normal person couldn't stand.

Lou Ling, however, wasn't a normal person. She calmly accepted it and smiled as she saw Bach and Funa to the door. In Bach's eyes, this woman was hopeless, actually accepting this treatment with a smile.

After they left, Lou Ling looked at the man who resembled a jailer and said, "See? You're being judged again."

Lou Dian put his arm around her shoulders and walked inside, saying indifferently, "Let them look if they want. I don't mind! Does Xiao Ling mind?"

"Yes, a little," she said, lying against her better judgment.

He smiled, his expression softening. He led her to the mat, handed her a winter melon seed, and said, "We'll have winter melon and pork rib soup tonight. Grow a winter melon."

Does he think she's a growth stimulant? she thought to herself, but she obediently took the seed and used her ability. The vine wasn't long, and at its fork, a small, plump winter melon rapidly grew, eventually becoming a large one. Even though she knew she had grown it herself, it amazed her every time. Fruiting without pollination… Esper abilities were truly amazing!

Nature had brought humanity to the brink of despair in this apocalypse, but it had also granted humanity the ability to survive.

As smoke rose from the kitchens in the oasis, Lou Dian rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen. Lou Ling, holding a plate of sliced watermelon and cantaloupe, followed him to the kitchen door like a shadow. She ate a piece of watermelon and fed him a piece of cantaloupe, watching him prepare the meal. Life was truly blissful.

The kitchen was too small for two people, so Lou Ling leaned against the door, eating fruit and chatting with him casually.

"An Qiya's ability is quite impressive. What's her level now? How much water can she purify in a day?"

Lou Dian put the washed and chopped ribs into the pot to stew, took some corn on the cob from his space, peeled the husks, washed them, and cut them into sections before adding them to the pot. He also added some red dates and other blood-enriching herbs, while answering her question, "Her ability is currently at Tier Four. She can purify about twenty cubic meters of water a day."

Twenty cubic meters of water, along with the Water Espers in the oasis, should be enough to sustain the oasis's water needs. Lou Ling wasn't surprised that An Qiya's ability had reached Tier Four. While imprisoned in the cellar, Qin You had forced her to purify the mutated beast meat, constantly pushing her ability to its limits, which was also a form of training. And since there were few zombie crystal cores to be found in the desert, An Qiya's ability had been raised through her own efforts, unlike Qin You, who relied on crystal cores.

"An Qiya's ability is truly useful. If those crazy researchers knew, it would probably put her in danger," Lou Ling said, eating watermelon. "Although I know she told us about her ability because she wants to cooperate with us, isn't she afraid we'll tell others and put her in danger?"

Purification abilities were too rare and important. If the researchers found out, they would definitely capture and dissect her.

"She's gambling. If she wins, she not only escapes the cellar but also gains the support of the entire Northwest Base. If she loses, the situation wouldn't be much worse. She'd just die in the cellar, which is better than being used by Qin You until her death."

So, An Qiya was a natural gambler, and it turned out she had won the bet. Lou Dian only cared about Lou Ling. As long as it didn't affect him, he wouldn't bother with such irrelevant matters. And Lou Ling had a naturally kind heart. She wouldn't actively harm others. If she knew something was beneficial to humanity, she wouldn't try to destroy it but would subconsciously help conceal and protect it.

One busy in the kitchen, the other at the door, chatting and cooking, they quickly finished dinner. Smelling the aroma of the food, Lou Ling instantly forgot about An Qiya.

After dinner, seeing that the sky was a shade of purple and visibility was still good, they went out for a stroll.

As they walked through the oasis, the survivors no longer looked at them with wary and scrutinizing eyes but greeted them warmly, especially the original inhabitants of the oasis, who treated them like saviors. Compared to them, the Espers had more complex attitudes, and the hostility mostly came from the Espers who had arrived from elsewhere.

The desert was sparsely populated, with few zombies. Many survivors from cities near the desert had been forced into the desert by zombies and eventually arrived at this oasis. Finding it safe, they stayed. Qin You, in her previous management of the oasis, had been too eager for quick success and had relationships with many Espers. While she held power, she also delegated it, leading to these Espers blurring the lines between public and private matters, gaining significant power and freedom of movement. Now, with the change in leadership, their power was restricted, and they naturally resented Lou Dian, whom they blamed for this change.

Lou Dian glanced at them coldly, not taking them to heart. He strolled with Lou Ling along the oasis lake until it was completely dark before returning to the wooden house.

Back in the wooden house, Lou Dian took out a solar lamp and placed it high up to use as a light. Now that An Qiya knew they had a Space Esper among them, there was no need to hide it anymore. Dual-ability Espers were rare but not unheard of. An Qiya herself was a dual-ability Esper, though probably no one knew that Lou Dian had cultivated both his abilities to such a high level.

Not long after the light came on, An Qiya came to visit.

The oasis was able to recover so quickly thanks to An Qiya's efforts. She hadn't slept for two days, her eyes bloodshot with dark circles, but her spirit was excellent.

"Little sister seems to be in good spirits," An Qiya said with a smile.

Lou Ling nodded with a smile, avoiding An Qiya's eyes to prevent being mesmerized again.

Lou Dian remained aloof towards outsiders, but his appearance was so striking, and he exuded a carefully crafted aura of calm and peace, that people would mistake him for a gentle and refined nobleman, overlooking his coldness. So, An Qiya blithely ignored his coldness, treating the Lou siblings with the familiarity of old friends.

"I heard from Bach that Mr. Lou is planning to leave?"

"Yes, we'll leave the day after tomorrow," Lou Dian didn't hide it.

"Do you have a destination in mind?"

"We'll travel around the east."

"Going on a honeymoon trip? How enviable. I wish I could go with you," An Qiya said, looking eager.

"You're too old," Lou Dian said bluntly. "You should stay here and enjoy your retirement. Stop calling yourself 'sister'."

"…"

Lou Ling couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only watch their banter with a twitching face. An Qiya was naturally a straightforward woman, but the mature air she'd cultivated made her seem more composed. However, her true nature would reveal itself when she spoke. Interacting with such a straightforward and tactful woman was indeed enjoyable. Though Lou Dian didn't change his sharp tongue, he could banter with An Qiya for a long time.

After they exchanged words for a while, An Qiya finally got to the point. "I'm very optimistic about the Northwest Base. Mr. Lou wouldn't mind if I visited the Northwest Base someday, would you?"

Lou Dian's eyes flickered slightly, and he said indifferently, "If you have the ability, the Northwest Base welcomes you anytime. Of course, you also know that I don't like being tied down. I don't have much say in the Northwest Base, so it will depend on your own abilities."

An Qiya smiled. "Then it's settled."

Lou Ling's face twitched. Settled what? Speaking in riddles was truly annoying.

After An Qiya left, Lou Dian said to the confused Lou Ling, "Now it's done. An Qiya is tied to the Northwest Base. Once the antidote for the zombie virus is put into use, the apocalypse will soon be over. Then… let's have a child."

Lou Ling: =__=! Why did the topic suddenly shift here? What did she miss?

Author's Notes:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Strive to keep up with the abnormal train of thought!

Lou Dian's goal: Strive to make up for the regrets of his past life!

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